A new set of eyes

Caden has begged and begged me to get him contacts. Now, let's be real. He is only 9....nearly 10. But, does that age scream responsibility? Not really. He has broken a pair of glasses every year due to sports, rough housing and just plain teasing everyone. Today, I gave in. I felt like I had explained to him over and over what exactly contacts would entail. Plus, our insurance would not cover both contacts and glasses. He had to make a decision. Contacts it was. There is no going back. He either has to wear the contacts or broken glasses. For now, he LOVES them. I hope it stays that way, 'cause he sure has some beautiful blue eyes!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope you all enjoyed your day as much as Hannah!

Hannah's first pigtails

For the Kids

After having the in-laws down last week, spending the weekend in St. Johns and finally getting sick kids better, I am posting. This one is for the kids.

Just a couple of nights ago, Caden came to me with this paper.

He had created a pamphlet to go along with a museum he put together in the front room. He was my little tour guide and showed me all of the significant pieces in this museum. They consisted of the sleeping boy(Weston really fell asleep on the floor), a harmonica, marshmallow gun, miniature car, and the leaning tower of Macaroni and Cheese(made from the boxes in the pantry). I laughed so hard! It was sooo cute!

Here is just another testament to the fact that I probably show the kids way too much television! Weston has watched an episode of Blue's Clue's where they all make up games. Joe made up a game called "Presto change Joe". Joe says that phrase, disappears off screen and comes back with something different about him. Well, yesterday on our way home from the store Weston says, "Presto change Joe". I see him take his crocs off and insert one of the heels of the shoe inside the other shoe. He then holds it up to his ear like a phone and says, "Hello! What are you doing today?"

To go along with that story, Weston took Hannah's necklace from her this morning and ran. He took it over to the couch and placed it under some pillows. He looked at me and said, "You'll never find it now! Hahaha!" For those of you that don't have kids that watch Dora, this is what Swiper says when he "swipes" something from Dora and hides it. That kid cracks me up!

And poor Hannah! She is finally feeling better and wanting to play. I was writing my grocery list when I see her trying to climb on the piano bench. She slipped off, fell on her back and the bench came with her landing smack on her eye. Poor thing cried and cried and now she has one beautiful black eye. Note to self: Keep the piano bench UNDER the piano at all times!

Bringing back Christmas

I must confess that the day after Christmas, I was depressed. I became even MORE depressed when I turned on the radio and there was no more Christmas music to be heard. Now, I realize that Christmas has been over for almost a month now, but I miss it. It is my favorite time of year. So, here is a video that I was introduced to last year. Maybe some of you have seen it...possibly all of you. But, it is wonderful and will hopefully bring back some of your Christmas feelings so I am not all alone.

Too Much Sugar + Too Much Blues Clues

A New Year's Just Begun!

Time seems to go faster as I get older. I still remember when I was in High School and thought that the year 2000 would never come. Yet, it has come and gone....quickly. Many things have changed and continue to change. As for my New Year's resolutions, I have none. Well, I guess I can't say none. I must admit I am not one for the New Year's resolutions. Instead, I started a new family tradition for Christmas time. It is the time that we celebrate the birth of Christ and read about the many gifts that were brought in celebration. Christ gave us the greatest gift of all. I figure in replacement of New Year's resolutions, we give our "gift" to Christ. I made a box that is mod podged and wrapped with a beautiful ribbon. Inside is a picture of Jesus Christ and it says, "My Gift to Christ". We all wrote on a piece of paper what our "gift" to Him would be throughout this next year. So, in a sense it is a resolution for the new year, but with a spiritual twist. I will get the box out for next years decorations and replace the old paper with a new one. I hope we can keep it going!

New Year's Eve was pretty uneventful. We decided to be spontaneous and go visit Grandma and Grandpa Bast in St. Johns for the weekend. I cleaned and packed on New Year's Eve and we headed out in the morning. We had a lot of fun up there. We kept ourselves busy playing games, watching movies and we even went to the mountains for some tubing! It was fun and I would have stayed longer if I did not have little kids. As you can see, the outfits are awesome! Ellen got out her 80's gear and that is what we wore. Weston looked great in his pink outfit and Caden was teased for wearing his mom's boots. We drove hom Sunday morning through some snow and rain storms.

Monday afternoon Grandma and Grandpa Webster flew in to town and we met them for dinner. My mom took me shopping for some new clothes and we also went to the zoo with the kids. They all seemed to enjoy the zoo and seeing all the animals. It was so much fun to see my mom, since I don't see her all that often. With all the pictures taken, I didn't get one with either my Mom or Dad. How pathetic!



Needless to say, we enjoyed all the visits and I am pooped! I think the kids got an overload of grandparents. They have only been whining the last couple of days and I am about ready to change my name. No more mom....maybe Georgina?

Catching up...again!

I have neglected my blog. I know. I feel really bad. Well, maybe not that bad. I was just enjoying the Holiday break with family and good food! So, here are a few things that have happened in the last little bit.

The weekend before Christmas, Michael's family came to stay with us for the weekend. We had such a great time with them. I love when they come. My mother-in-law is like my "out", I like to say. I love when she is here and spending time with her. We watched some movies, went shopping and ate some yummy food. We had Michael's uncle come over with his kids on Sunday for some good food. I made this fabulous recipe that is just like the Cafe Rio sweet pork salad. It is so delicious! Everyone loved it! My Dad stopped by with some more Christmas gifts. We all chatted and then read the story of Christ's birth.

On Christmas Eve, I decided to get the house nice and clean for Santa to come. It is so much nicer to wake up to a clean house, open presents and then take a nap. I opened the front door to run the garbage outside and when I returned, there was a bird in our house. It must have been hiding from the rain outside and flew in while I was emptying the trash. It took us a good 15 minutes to get the bird out of the house. What an adventure!

Santa did decide to stop by our house with a few things. The kids enjoyed opening presents and playing with each other. I enjoyed taking a nap!

In other news, my garden has been doing well. At least until the freeze a couple of nights ago. My tomato plants froze and look horrible! I think a little part of the plant survived. Maybe we can keep it going? My broccoli is still great! I have already harvested a couple of heads and I am so excited they did so well!

This is such a good time of year to go outside, since the summer is way too hot. However, when it rains here, our backyard stays wet for a long time. It does not see very much sun. And it is still just dirt. Not a great combination. But, I figured the kids should be able to go outside and play to their hearts content while I watered the plants. Hannah did not hesitate one bit. She got sooooo muddy.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, just as we did!

What I learned today

My children teach me so many things each day. Today, as I was cooking lunch, I could smell something burning. I knew it was not the rice in the pot, or the chicken in the microwave. I thought maybe it was some residue from ribbon on the burner. (When I sew with ribbon, I burn the edges so they don't unravel.) It was not that. The smell kept getting stronger and stronger. I knew I needed to figure out what it was before the house burned down. I went up the stairs...and the burning smell became stronger. I followed my nose in to Caden's room. The lamp was on and something was in it....with a little smoke coming out. This is what I saw.

So, today, I learned that legos and lightbulbs don't compliment each other very well. He had put one of his bionicle legos in the lamp so that Weston would not touch it. So much for that. It does not look like that guy will be played with much more.

Maybe Santa will bring some more legos this Christmas?

Giving and Giving!

Michael noticed a few days ago that I have not posted in a bit. He then asked me if I was going to post on my Birthday. Of course I said, "NO! How lame is that? I just want to wish myself a Happy Birthday today!" However, it is my Birthday today and I am posting. Not to wish myself a good one....now that I am 30 (very old!), but because I have been so overwhelmed with goodness in my life!
I am so blessed to be born to goodly parents who truly love the Lord and love me unconditionally. They so selflessly give of themselves to any of their children when in need. They are enormous examples of faith and how living the gospel brings us happiness! I am so blessed to be given the chance to be born at this time when the gospel has been restored and in this country where I can worship how, where and what I may. I am surrounded by good people who love me. My wonderful husband and children who are so patient of my LACK of patience. I have been given kind and loving siblings and friends. I think I forget how much goodness there really is in this deteriorating world. I have been humbled with the giving and giving of so many as of late. Thank you Mom and Dad, Rich and Ellen, Michael, Becky, Andrea and to all my wonderful friends. You all give me something, whether you know it or not. It is the season of giving and I can only hope that I can give back a smidgen of what I have received from all of you. Thank you all and I love you with all my heart!

P.S. I have decided that I have a complex about posting pictures. I have a hard time posting without a picture or video. So, you get a random picture that we discovered over Thanksgiving of Michael and I going disco bowling....back in the day. This picture was taken about 11 years ago and obviously has nothing to do with the post. But, what can I say? I NEED to post a picture.

Post for Antha

Yesterday, Michael mentioned that he needed a creative outlet. We talked for a while about things he could do using his creative energy considering the limited amount of time available in his busy life. I really like this story he had started as a screenplay some time ago. I think I have convinced him that he should write a book about this story. He is such a talented writer and I think it would be a great book. I am not sure if all of this talking sparked some childhood memories or what, but just a few minutes later he was outside digging in the dirt. He was building a fort with the kids! I actually got involved by gathering some tree limbs to build the forest. I had to take some pictures. After taking some pictures, Michael told me that this post would be for his cousin Antha. He and Anthony used to build forts like this all the time. So, this is for you Antha. Michael is passing on the tradition to his boys!

Hannah came in the house with some dirt on her mouth. I figure she ingested a good amount of protein!

P.S. Michael started writing last night....and can I just tell you he is amazing! I am really excited to keep him writing!

The Season has ended!

And boy am I glad! I love that my son enjoys football and has a talent for it! It's just all the driving for practices and games. They start off the season practicing 5 days a week for 2 hours. This lasts for the whole month of August. It's finally cut down to 2 days a week for 2 hours with a game every Saturday. Now, if you ask me, I would say, "They are only nine for crying out loud!" But, it's over and I don't have to worry about driving him to and from football. Michael will miss the early Saturday mornings with a doughnut and newspaper waiting for the game to start. And watching the game, of course! Caden only had one game he did not score for the team! He did great and his team finished the season 6 and 4.....and the Queen Creek Champions! Way to go Caden! We are so proud of you!

Canadian Police Chase!

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Mini Michael

Just a couple of nights ago, we had He-Man cartoons blaring on the television. (oh my....I forgot how cheesy those were) Michael was so impressed that Weston had picked this dvd out for me to turn on that he left the room and came back a few minutes later with some old He-Man toys for him to play with. Along with that was a box of memorabilia. Picture after picture....we laughed and reminisced. And then he pulled this picture out.

Oh, my! How much does this little guy look like him?

Pretty much identical.....I would say.

And for those of you that do not know Michael very well, he is a tease! He loves to hold his kids down, pull their arms up and lightly bite their belly to tickle torture them. He even loves to pull their little shirts up exposing the belly button to tease them even more. So, I bet you are wondering what this has to do with Weston being somewhat similar to his father. Well, I captured this on my camera today. Just for your info.....no coaxing was involved on my part. This was purely little Weston at work!

Happy Halloween!

So after all of my sewing for hours and hours in my closet, I figured I would be taking enough pictures of my kids to fill an album. I did almost that, but not quite. I will share some of my favorites, but I have some other things to share first.

Who knew it could be sooo HOT on the 31st of October? After all, it was 93 degrees this afternoon which I can attest to. I was out at the park with my kids per Weston's request.

After playing on the slides, Weston asked to go on the swings. He loves to swing high! I put Hannah in one swing and gave her a little push. Then it was Weston's turn. I picked up that tank and put him in his swing. Before I could even push him he looked at me and said, "I be close to my Jesus." It took me a bit to process, but then I got it. He wanted me to push him high so he could be close to Jesus. Tug my heart strings!

Now on to the part everyone is waiting for. Last year, before Hannah was even born, Ellen purchased a little Tinkerbell pattern at the fabric store to be used this year. We have obviously had some time to think about this years costumes. We figured if Hannah was Tinkerbell, we should make Weston Peter Pan and Caden Captain Hook. I have been doing A LOT of sewing and now my house looks like Hurricane Ike came through it. I have much cleaning to do.......but I figure it was worth it. I think they look darn cute!

A little bit of every day

I got an email from Aunt Andrea letting me know she was missing pictures of the kids. Well, I have not taken too many. I did take this one picture of Hannah after we made some cookies in hopes of starting the "Halloween Ghost" tradition in our neighborhood. I think every kid should be able to lick the beaters every once in while.
Also, Weston made me laugh today. He was looking at colors and pointed to the color purple and said, "Purple." Very excited I said, "That's right! You are one smart cookie!" He looked at me a little confused and said, "Weston is a cookie now?" So cute!

I'm sure you are all wondering.....

what the "buzz" is at the Bast house. As I was sitting on the couch near the front window yesterday, I was admiring my blooming plants in the front yard. I looked at our tree that needs some trimming and noticed a very large black......something. I couldn't tell what it was. I thought maybe someone lost a dark colored hat or shirt that was blown in the wind and ended up hanging over one of the branches. I walked outside to observe the lost something....and the lost something was a HUGE clump of bees! Okay....maybe not HUGE. But, I thought it was. It is probably the size of half a basketball. After much concern and looking for a bee exterminator, my second counselor (who does pest control) in the bishopric explained everything.

Apparently this is the time of year that the bees travel to or from the mountains...don't remember which. The queen bee is enveloped in the middle of this clump as they travel and they have to stop and rest every once in a while. I guess they reserved a room at the Bast Inn without my knowledge. But, they should be gone in a couple of days without any harm done. This is the best picture I could get without thinking I would be stung to death!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Hannah turned one today! Time sure flies! Not too much was happening at the Bast home front in lieu of the Birthday celebration. But, we did celebrate, and that is all that matters.

I received this cupcake clip complimentary of Hannah's Birthday a couple of weeks ago.

Which inspired me to make this outfit to compliment the complimentary cupcake clip.

Quite froofy....I know. But, I LOVE how it turned out. I used to not like froofy things as a little girl, but times have changed! We did do a little Birthday shopping this evening....thanks to the Grandparents! And to finish the evening off.......

Hannah did this.

And then THIS
(which neither of my boys did...way to go girl!)

And a BIG SMILE

We love you Hannah!

Grandparents and Football

What a fun weekend we had! Grandma and Grandpa Bast came to visit and I was able to see Caden play his best football game this season! He scored three touchdowns for his team this last Saturday. It is such a joy to watch my talented son! Grandma and Grandpa Bast were able to watch him play as well, which does not happen often. This time of year, we do not see them much. Caden has a football game every weekend, as well as Uncle Alec and Sean. So, it ends up neither family can visit the other without missing games. It was a treat to have the Grandparents down this weekend!